Brown Bag Seminar The impact of ride hailing on the use of other transport modes

Speaker: Ciarřn Mac Domnhaill

Abstract: Does ride hailing complement or substitute other forms of transport, such as public transport? This paper contributes to this ongoing debate with an empirical analysis of the effect of the entry of Uber into the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland during 2015, using a difference-in-differences methodology and travel diary data from the Scottish Household Survey. Results revealed that the availability of ride hailing increased the use of public transport by a factor of 1.5 relative to driving a car in Glasgow. This was more pronounced among respondents who were younger, male and employed. The effect was particularly pronounced among respondents with higher levels of household income. The positive effect on public transport stemmed from an effect on rail transport, with no effect on bus transport found, and was stronger among work-related journeys. Separately, I found insufficient evidence of a causal effect on congestion or the number of road traffic accidents.